Shut Eye 2: Review

Directed, written and starring Lauren Cooney and Isaac ‘ICEY’ Tomiczek this is the sequel to their first short film, Shut Eye (2016).

Shut Eye 2 (2017) is very meta. When Lauren and Isaac go to the Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington NC it is to showcase their first feature the duo did called, Shut Eye which has the vibe of Trainspotting (1996) mixed with the dangerous dinner party horror, The Invitation (2015), along with of course Lauren and Isaac’s current story in Shut Eye 2.

This short has all the inklings to suggest it could go down a (the) Blair Witch Project (1999) pathway. There are the warning signs that only one of the filmmakers returns back and a scene where Isaac and Lauren go into the woods to even talk about murders that have happened there. Yet Shut Eye 2 is quite an original idea. It connects us to substance abuse and the way it could lead to violence even turning to psychological breakdowns, connecting these two as a collective in our society.

Here’s the first film:

It does tacks on the same ideas, which can be affiliated with President Donald Trump’s leadership though and how this has caused people to react and be paranoid and divided. In this regard, perhaps Shut Eye 2 would be more beneficial as a feature presentation; it could really articulate its core themes and physiological horror strengths. But for now, this is a great little short to be enjoyed.